Live from Seymour . . .

Barr-Reeve and the other North Central are currently locked in a spirited battle for the right to advance to the 1A state title game and get a shot at Bowman Academy. Barr-Reeve’s Trey Hughes hit a . . . wait for it . . . 3 at the 3rd period buzzer to give his team a 38-32 lead. Cavernous gym isn’t full, but it’s loud.

Park Tudor and IU target Yogi Ferrell will play Forest Park in the second game, which should begin around 6:15.

[5:20 UPDATE]

Despite a late push by North Central, Barr-Reeve holds on for a 59-48 win.

Trey Hughes, son of head coach Bryan Hughes, hit a free throw that put Barr-Reeve up 50-46 with 1:20 left and then fought through leg cramps as his team pulled away on free throws.

[8:30 UPDATE]

Well, that was wild.

While most of the country was watching Kansas lose to Northern Iowa, about 6,000 got to watch Park Tudor and Forest Park battle through four quarters and as many overtimes to decide which team will play at Conseco.

A decisive pull up jumper by Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell finally came with about six seconds left. He curled around a high screen and stopped before entering the lane, rising up to let go of a shot that made it 47-45. Forest Park’s last second 3 fell short.

“It was in slow motion,” Ferrell, who was recently offered a scholarship by IU, said. “As soon as it left my fingers I knew it was good.”

Ferrell finished with a game-high 24 points. His twirling drive through the lane led to a bucket, foul and free throw that tied the game at 42 and sent it into it’s third OT. Ferrell had a chance to end the game in that period but his final shot did not fall.

Earlier, his drive and kick out led to a J.B. Rapp 3-pointer that tied it at 37 before the end of regulation. Reggie Nesbitt sent the game to overtime with a boisterous block of a lay-up created by a well-conceived play to get the ball inside.

“Reggie, he was the man down there,” said Ferrell, a sophomore. “He made the play that kept us in it.”

A Forest Park buzzer-beating 3 had knotted the score at 29 heading into half. But with the Panthers (15-10) sitting in a passive 2-3 zone and the Rangers (19-8) content with holding the ball — since they had no real answer for Ferrell — the final 32 minutes of the game were a grind. Two overtimes featured no scoring at all.

The Panthers, who had a five-game losing streak early in the season but are on a seven-game winning streak now, advance to face Gary Wallace in the 2A final.

Ferrell, a 5-9 guard, carried his team in the first half. He hit three 3-pointers and slashed through the lane and along the baseline for easy lay ups in front of IU assistant Tim Buckley and Michigan head coach John Beilein.

Let’s render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s: the Huskies – Lobos game has been a one-sided affair for three quarters of the game. For Alford’s team we have a season far better than anyone would have been willing to predict. Let’s see how he comes back next season. For the Huskies: time to rub it in, as promised. I’m all ears, wounds, whatever. Enjoy, Husky Tom. This is your time. You won the most important of contests, the last one. Congratulations.

Sheesh. Anyone but UW. ANYONE but Washington to knock off the great Steve Alford. Anyone but the traditionless upstarts with no dusty banners in their arena to end New Mexico’s “magical” 30-win season.

Anyone but UW, and 4tards could have quietly slipped into the night with a few weak excuses.

Anyone but UW, and sorenards could have spared himself the torment and annoyance that he is about to receive.

Ahh, I almost feel bad. It’s too easy. Didn’t we all already know that Steve Alford’s record was heavily inflated by a weak conference? Didn’t we already know that the Pac 10 in a “down year” was still 20 points better than Alford’s best?

Clarion- Right on. Nice guy, good coach; tremendous head of hair that I envy. But a 5 point win over Montana and then utterly dominated at the hands of the Huskies, with a team full of upper-classmen (well, I don’t blame him for that one, but…)?

Washington is going out first round. Marquette is going out in the 2nd round. Then all that is left if Husky Tom crying.

Heee heee.

From ESPN:“Despite the pregame plan of Lobos coach Steve Alford, who wore a bright red blazer on the sideline, New Mexico inexplicably played the first half at the uptempo pace favored by the athletic Huskies. Washington ran the Lobos off the court, jumping to a 12-point halftime lead in front of a friendly West Coast crowd.

Already up 48-36, Washington scored nine straight points early in the second half, capped by Pondexter’s layup in traffic with less than 14 minutes to play. While Pondexter grinned broadly and Thomas pounded his chest, Gary and Hobson hunched over, breathless.

The game was seen by some fans as a referendum on the relative strengths of the Mountain West, which sent four teams to the NCAAs, and the Pac-10, which sent just two.

I really wish Coach Alford wasn’t tied in the posters minds here with you-know-who. I really would liked to have seen him have a nice tourney run. But it would have been less than enjoyable with all the spew on my favorite blog about it.

There’s a fine line between being a trumpet and a clarion and you’re going back and forth crossing this line with so ease, day in and day out, so effortlessly, I envy you… Proof:

Washington did bring their game. The Lobo’s defense was greatly overmatched. Of course they have been conditioned by MW offenses, too

Puke. They beat 6 ranked teams only one of which was from the conference you so much envy and drool over. I saw Michigan State playing New Mexico State Fri night, Clari-yawn. 👿 I saw Wisconsin play the mighty Wofford Terriers. 😯 I hope you were proud of your Big Ten teams, Hoosier Clarabelle!

Husky: you’re just lucky New Mexico doesn’t have Crean. They would have eaten you alive, buddy with Crean on their bench. Crean is a really good coach, unlike Alford and would have made minced meat out of Pondekster and Isaiah Tommy.

And now the burden is with you buddy. You’d probably say onus. ?! I’ve had too much Jay Edwards tonight and I am again blogging without a seatbelt… but you know what? Go and get your banner now, dude: it’s your time. Yeah, go all the way. Alford has one, Knight has one, everybody has one. Don’t let the Mountaineers (or even worse, the Missouri Tigers! 😯 😮 eh?) stop you… Come on buddy, call me when you get the Husky banner, and we’ll talk.

Congrats to the Huskies! I would like to extend a congratulations to schools throughout the nation experiencing 1/3 a climatic run to an NCAA championship(2 out of 6 required wins toward the ultimate trophy/banner). And if we’re going to use this Hoosier website to sing praises to teams that have in recent years had reasonable consistency the bragging rights a destination 1/3 to a championship, then why not acknowledge a team from our home state? Why not acknowledge a team packed with kids from Indiana? Ten players on the Butler roster are from Indiana.
Idea: Maybe schools accomplishing this great basketball feat should consider petitioning the NCAA into allowing 3 Sweet Sixteen banners be equivalently traded in for 1 Championship banner…? Thoughts?

Of course, only one college from the Indiana schools listed above has the insignificant type of banner that means you simply went entirely through the NCAA Division 1 tournament without losing a game. Sorry, but this type of banner cannot be traded in.

*Note: In order to not ignore the great achievements of the three smaller colleges from Indiana that have reached a Sweet Sixteen, the basketball programs of Indiana State, Valparaiso, and Ball State could attempt to combine their three individual Sweet Sixteen appearances in petitioning the NCAA for 1 Championship banner containing the names of all three schools that could be rotated every 1/3 year to each program.

L’accent, the only easily understandable portion of your post aimed at me was my quote you re-posted. Maybe you should only post after sufficient sobering up. MW teams playing in this 65 team tournament were paper lions because it is such a weak conference. Pay attention, the MW champion falls to an 11 seed. Just as the B10 teams have had good draws in this tournament that should have been an exceptional draw for NM. SA’s game plan coaching is also very questionable. If you play in a soft conference then you are more likely to perform that way.

I love to listen to all these morons talk about coaching and playing basketball. They have all the answers don’t they/have they ever coached, i doubt it. All the things Steve Alford did at IU under Coach Knight, and yes/ he has had tough luck coaching/the way it goes. He’s still IU all the way thru, unlike allot of other hoosiers.

“And now the burden is with you buddy. You’d probably say onus. ?! I’ve had too much Jay Edwards tonight and I am again blogging without a seatbelt… but you know what? Go and get your banner now, dude: it’s your time. Yeah, go all the way.”

Ha. Are you kidding? The burden is with me now??? The Huskies have to win the championship for me to celebrate waxing Steve Alford and putting and end to the ridiculousness on this blog? Nice try. I am going to celebrate this one for many months, come hell or high water.

And FYI – I am not that confident about UW’s prospects from here on out. Remember, they have to go back to playing real teams from real conferences now, and it ain’t going to be easy. No more overrated Cup Cakes like New Mexico for them to waltz by blindfolded.

I only wish we could face a Mountain West team instead of the Mountaineers.

GooFyDave,
Butler doesn’t play with 4 guards. They had to for part of the second half due to foul trouble. At crunchtime they had Howard and Hayward on the court as usual.
Small ball doesn’t work come tourney time. Ask Villanova.

Aruss, 4tards: The only reason they had that chance was by playing the 4 guards. That alignment kept them in the game. Understand that I don’t don’t care about it, but it makes me happy that your agendas are falling apart all around you. Time to change your name again. HA!

There is more sanity and truth in this one GFDAVE post than has come out of all the posted BS of 4disreguards. Dave your point is so accurate it is beyond debate. He does not understand basketball he just makes guesses to be contrary.

By evidence the spewing of numerous posts across the many recent threads, I think Husky Tom having his way with 4guards possibly left him in a higher state of arousal than when he first saw John Wall play against our Hoosiers. Easy does it there, fella. Don’t want you to use up all your vigor on one game.

It does appear Scoop is quite the favorite place for bloggers flipping up their skirts and throwing pompom cheers in our faces the successes of their true favorite teams(teams other than the Indiana Hoosiers), slathering adulation on great talent playing for most hated rivals across our borders, or hideously and disingenuously playing a never ending game of unforgiving constant ridicule against our coach.

No sour grapes. Just tired of being force-fed giant scoop clusters of blogging sweetness and bunches of everything growing on the vines that has nothing to do with the Indiana Hoosiers ever making memorable wines.

I do hope Washington keeps up their winning ways…I only nibbled on a couple grapes of their basketball this year..I saw them play in the final 10 minutes against Cal in the Pac 10 Championship game..That one glimpse a taste-test made me impressed enough their vintage to place them in my brackets as a Final Four team. I’m surprised you have such little confidence in your Huskies simply because they had such an easy time making cheap Boone’s Farm out of Alfarts overachievers.

I appreciate the kind words. It is easier to call the Dawgs a final 4 team from an outsider’s perspective; from where I am standing, I am not confident that a blowout over the most overrated team of the tournament promises a final 4 trip.

I’m not worried and I don’t consider it “rubbing-in”. You are a far more enjoyable read than 4guards…I thoroughly enjoy watching the Huskies play. Minus the brief view of what Sampson was attempting to achieve before he was crucified for an assistant coach placing one too many an obscene recruiting phone call to Robbie Hummel, it’s a style of basketball I’ve always hoped to watch an Indiana Hoosier team play.
I don’t want more sluggish post players at IU and I certainly don’t want to ever see Alford’s version of Bobby Knight basketball brought back to Bloomington.

Anybody who thinks Butler is better off with Howard on the bench is an idiot. There is no arguing that. Brad Stevens must not think so since he plays him as much as possible. Butler won that game with Howard and Hayward in the game at crunchtime. Howard come back in with around 5 min left in the game.
Villanova thought they could win playing small ball as well. They are now at home watching.

4disreguards for nearly a full half Murray State could not take over a game when you contend they should of had the better of the match-ups with Howard on the bench. Now figure out what side of the argument you are convicted to because the game result proves your post makes you look like an i___t. 4realguards took control of the game while Howard was unavailable and not contributing. That is also not the first time the 4realguards of Butler has produced that same result this season as Howard is prone to spending time on the bench with fouls. Hell you were bragging up the “Diviner of Albuquerque” and proved wrong . Now you are establishing the same result with your lack of understanding of using a 4realguard offense. You need mega HELP.

Villanova just got unlucky. Say whatever crap you want to, but Scottie Reynolds gets into a slump at the worst possible time. Go check his stats the last few games, they have been less than stellar. If he was at least his normal self, they would have won both their games easily.

Zach,
If Villanova had a post game, it would have made it easier for Reynolds to get some good looks. During the season, I had to listen to you guys talk about how awesome Villanova is with their 4 guard lineup. Well……

Nice going Wisconsin: tough defense like in the Pig Pen Conference — or is it the Big Ten Conference, one can’t even tell any more…!? — the toughest conference east of the MWC. Way to go Cornell — showing all the self proclaimed clarions of the world what the reality truly smells like!

Boy, you can bet I will be back here after the Huskies lace it up against WVU. If UW loses, it will certainly be because they got a false sense of their ability playing a cupcake like New Mexico whose RPI was built by beating other crappy MWC teams…

Seriously, who was the real #11 seed there? Why wasn’t New Mexico a bubble team after losing to San Diego State?

The Big Red controlled things from the opening tip, picking apart Wisconsin’s vaunted defense the same way they did Temple in the opening round.

Cornell had a 12-point lead early, a 20-point lead late and very few moments of concern in between.

And a bit later:

But Wisconsin’s problem was defense.

Big Ten big D baby! Whatever.

Meanwhile I acknowledge the Lobos wins’ against ranked teams were overinflated: 2 wins against BYU (I agree we should not count them) 1 win against UNLV (again, tournament team but still, MWC, I agree wholeheartedly it should not count) and Texas Tech (then ranked, having beaten … the Huskies that took apart the Lobos two days ago) and Texas A&M (maybe the only one we should count along with a win to an unranked California). So: you were right.

I can’t wait to see what Northern Iowa does against the Spartans (or the other way around).

Nice, you are trying to have it both ways Husky: if UW wins they win because they’re SO GOOD. If they lose it’s because of Alford and his Lobos. Well, I hope West Virginia demolishes them. If they’re so weak mentally they deserve to go away.

Texas Tech, baby! A team that even the Lobos beat. Full circle. That’s life buddy!

Purdue vs. Duke. Hell, a game where I just hope both teams lose somehow.

But no, if you watched the game, Reynolds didn’t have bad post play (It was more that St. Mary’s had REALLY GOOD post play), he had wide open shots and slightly contested layups that just didn’t go in. he has had a rough slide, it’s not his team that is failing.

L’accent, three, count them, three B10 teams are sweet Sixteen. Sixty % of the B10 entries are victorious. The non-potent MW teams are home being spectators and like their fans wishing they were playing in the NIT. You are correct, I am more right than you. Thanks for sobering up. Your post(s) tonight are easier to understand, even if it took two of them to gather your thoughts.

L’accent- I was very impressed that you admitted you were wrong, and I made a note of how civil you were.

Still, you reverted back to your old cornhole self pretty quickly.

You are right- I can, and will, have it both ways. But that’s none of my own doing: it’s all because of you and your surrogate brother 4tards and the months and months of crap you’ve been spewing about these parts with your lobo updates.

Thanks to you two (2tards?), I now have the infinitely satisfying feeling of knowing that if the Huskies win, it’s a bonus; if they lose, well, at least they did everyone on this blog except for you 2tards a huge favor.

Clarion, thanks for the encouragement, you are very patient with me. Still:

[1] UNLV is not Sweet Sixteen because of Northern Iowa (66-69) which kicked out Kansas by almost the same narrow margin (67-69). Meanwhile MSU has had to rely on referees giving Raymar Morgan a rare second chance on a free throw in a crucial moment against New Mexico State. So I will I claim MSU is there where UNLV is not because UNLV played Northern Iowa earlier than MSU. If Northern Iowa kicks out MSU later this week it will be hard to counter this argument and UNLV could have been where MSU is.

[2] San Diego State narrowly lost to a Tennessee that quickly and thoroughly outplayed Armon’s tiny but feisty and brave Ohio. A tiny margin that could have brought a second MWC team in the sweet sixteen.

[3] BYU and UNM lost badly and deservedly so. I can’t argue their positions, just as you can’t (or won’t) argue Wisconsin’s or Minnesota’s.

[4] Purdue deservedly is in sweet sixteen — hope that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy with a tingling does of lasting happiness inside. Purdue is a most representative Pig Pen team.

[5] Ohio State also has played well but they may lose to Tennessee because they depend too much on Turner. But they are where they are deservedly so and not by tiny, inconclusive margins. So: good for them.

Thus by my calculations above it’s not that clear that B10 teams have demonstrated that they are vastly superior to MWC teams in this tournament. The margins were so small it’s all very debatable, I think (so far).

I root for Northern Iowa now. Their conference surely is responsible for the toughness they have demonstrated thus far, wouldn’t you say?

By a margin of 401 to 258 on a poll on this very site, our fans say we did NOT live up to expectations this season.
What do you think the poll numbers would be in New Mexico for the job Alford did this year with exceeding expectations?
By the way, I am not a MWC proponent. I am Big10 through and through (except Purdue and Illinois). Let’s not be so arrogant though. The MWC is a decent conference. They got in 4 teams, while we got in 5.

Lobo updates? Did they bother you? Hmm… you know, this gives me an idea: maybe it’s time to start preparing some reruns… entitled “Classic Lobos Moments from a memorable season”. And just go over those games over and over again… just the most memorable highlights.

I start as soon as West Virginia stomps the weaklings from Seattle. Thanks for the request and you know you can always count on me, buddy.

4tards should maybe be (if he’s not already) called 4nads because he has what most of you do not: the eyes to see and the beans to admit that reality is as it is and not as you keep wishing it to be. And lacking that very essential aspect you all get steamed up and rant and burn and bristle against him but you can’t compensate for that very basic “feature” that he has and most of you so clearly lack and that’s why you can’t stand him.

^^^Engel- Please include the last game of the Lobo season in your package of Lobo highlights, and try to include as many shots as you can of Darion Hobson slouched over, Ramon Martinez holding his face, and Dairese Gary crying. It warms my heart.

Also, I am thrilled to know that I have made you into a regular Husky observer.

The languishing Lobos watched their Sweet 16 hopes dissipate, as No. 11 Washington raced out of the second round at the HP Pavilion with an 82-64 victory. The lack of depth finally caught up with UNM, as seven of its players logged double-digit minutes. Washington, on the other hand, dipped into its bench, filtering in nine fresh guys.
“They were just too much,” said UNM forward Roman Martinez.

Way too much.

Head coach Steve Alford said it best.

“We ran into a combination of San Diego State and BYU wrapped together,” the Lobo coach astutely reasoned. “They got the size and athleticism of San Diego State and they play the style of BYU. That’s kind of scary.”

In fact, with Washington possessing the lead and the momentum for 30 of the 40 minutes, it was utterly terrifying.

I hope it makes you feel good. The Huskies are finally as good as they were hoping to be when the season started. Good for you and good for them.

MW is a low rung in college basketball trying to be competition(then end up being fodder)against 6 or 7 higher caliber conferences and the past four days sure proved it. UNI’s performance supports how fortunate it is to not be part of that soft conference. L’accent your arguments mirror 4disreguards, you two just keep throwing mud on the wall and hope something sticks. Find a position, establish a conviction and then learn enough about it to stay condensed, focused and coherent. By the way even after your last four posts disparaged the B10 they still have three teams preparing for the SWEET sixteen. That fact proves my quoted position about B10 basketball. In fact with those four posts you mostly wasted air. It is true the Badger BB team does not run track well. Of course Cornell not playing in the MW did not hurt either.

L’accEngle- You have been much too nice and complementary of late about my Huskies. What’s gotten into you? Whatever your motivation, it’s appreciated.

I will now disappear again for a while, as you all know I like to do now and then. This week has been great, and I need no further blogging satisfaction.

I have really enjoyed watching 4guards and his agendas crumble at the hands of the suddenly resurgent and surprisingly funny duo of GF Dave and Clarion, who have moved past simple one-liners and discovered their creative sides.

I have also enjoyed a peaceful co-existence with Engel, Downing, and L’accent.

You continue with your dreams, mendacity and apples or oranges luck. I witnessed three B10 teams pushed to the wall this weekend and they willed themselves victorious. Two of those three teams had key player injuries. Those injuries were luck all right and all of it bad. They were prepared for their challenges by playing in a tough conference. …PERIOD… You are wrong again by saying I hate SA, I do not, repeat do not hate SA. He just does not have the coaching acumen to perform on the big stage.

Many on hear have worn out fingers and keyboards correcting your errors, mishandling of facts or unrealized lies. I personally have performed so much surgery on you I could instruct at med school. Most of us senior citizens(the ones at an AARP hotel with internet)do the research needed so as not to end up with your penchant for personal vulnerability. But it is all to no avail, you are hopeless in a class unto yourself.

Now, I will make this just as painless as possible to establish for both the record and your memory; hence as if you cannot remember one you might stumble over and find the other.
*** “THERE IS NO COACH AT THIS POINT IN TIME I WOULD RATHER HAVE AT IU THAN COACH TOM CREAN” ***
Which I will add point blank period the end.

Don’t dare lump my name in with the treasonous Crean-haters. Their ultimate desired course for Hoosier basketball travels down a road to forgotten heroes I’ve long moved beyond.

And I think it exceedingly ridiculous to posture yourself as anything more a noble fan than Engel, 4guards, L’accent, or any on this blog, when your shared basketball devotions can conveniently teeter-totter between the everlasting patience and compassionate love your Hoosier wife in her distressed hoops state, juxtaposed with the cocky braggadocios highs you get from forwardly displaying your Husky mistress providing you the quickie satisfaction of a short and flashy tournament run. Touting around your undergraduate degree from a different college thus making a justification a Washingtonian polygamist or a Hoosier cheat?..Makes me sick your advantage in the Madness!…(tongue-in-cheek)… 4guards lives out his fantasy of another…You get to sleep comfortably with two!

Unlike you, I’m not so hungry a one shining moment to sleep around my loyalties to more than one basketball program.

This week has been great, and I need no further blogging satisfaction.

How I do miss the secluded days of island chat on Basketblog when you cared about conversation with a once favorite castaway. This populous mainland be a cold place of distant hearts and undercutting words that provides Chill with only melancholy longings a day never returning.

Turns out that Steve Alford’s brilliance as a coach is just absolute: faced with the task of eliminating the Huskies he rope a doped them into thinking how great they are. Now they are losing to West Virginia. Chalk one belated point up for Coach Alford. Good bye Huskies! TTFN!